The present invention relates to a pressurized fluid supplying arrangement in general and more particularly to an arrangement of this type which is particularly suited for use as a master cylinder of a clutch.
In conventional clutch master cylinders, there is provided a cylinder housing including an axial bore for accommodation of a piston. The piston has one end face delimiting a pressure compartment while an actuating rod extending to a clutch pedal engages its opposite end face. The housing has a clutch slave-cylinder port and a feed bore leading to a supply reservoir. This feed bore can be closed by a valve upon actuation of the piston. A cylinder sleeve is located between the outer circumferential surface of the piston and the surface bounding the axial bore of the housing. The sleeve slidably receives the piston. A feeding compartment is formed between the surface bounding the bore and the outer surface of the sleeve. The feed bore communicates with the feeding compartment.
A clutch master cylinder of this type is known from the British Pat. No. 1,481,612. In this master cylinder construction, the cylinder sleeve is stationarily arranged in the axial bore of the cylinder housing. The connection from the feeding compartment, which is formed between the housing and the cylinder sleeve, to the slave-cylinder port is established in this master cylinder construction through an intermediate chamber which is located behind the actual cylinder housing and is closed by a rolling diaphragm, as well as through passageways which extend through the piston and are adapted to be closed by a valve inserted at the piston end face which delimits the pressure chamber. The intermediate chamber which is closed by the rolling diaphragm and which has to be provided in addition to the other components renders the structure of the cylinder housing in the known clutch master cylinder very complicated. The same applies to the design of the piston which is required to accommodate, in addition, to the passageways leading to the pressure compartment, also an actuating device for the valve. Finally, the valve itself which is mounted at the face of the piston is also of a relatively complicated design.